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Solid Wood, a material as old as man himself, has since ancient
times been part of our daily lives in various forms and features. While for
many people
the wood from trees has been an essential element in the building of houses,
in our evolved society this precious material is now mainly used in the creation
of prestigious furniture. The trees are first purpose cut with special machines,
and then divided up following a well defined plan. In the past the tree felling
process did not follow such a particular scheme of rules but was rather left
to the good will of whoever carried out the job. Today, thanks to a newfound
ecological awareness the majority of wood for the building of furniture is
obtained from special foresting, cultivating in the interests of environmental
protection. Once the wood has been cut up and divided it undergoes a seasoning
process in order to reduce the level of humidity so it is suitable for processing.
Natural desiccation is one of the most common options, along with new artificial
systems. After a determined period of time the planks are ready to be processed
and used in, among others, the artisan furniture-making industry. In order
to be able to boast the label "Solid Wood" a piece of furniture must
have been created using wood taken directly from the trunk of the tree. It
is the type of tree used which determines the name solid cherry, poplar, chestnut
and so on. In the Italian language, the very definition of 'solid'
is the same as that of wood itself. The term wood indicates the part of the
tree, under the bark, at the trunk of the tree, which in the region of the
most 'intimate' rings makes up the 'solid part'.
Solid panels
Solid wood panels are particularly widespread, created by joining
several ledges of wood with thermo-hardening or thermo-melting
glues. Generally rectangular in shape and laid out at right angles,
they can also be made of plywood, by using single- layer or three-layer
panels.
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